POUGHKEEPSIE – A reported “dumpster fire” at the City of Poughkeepsie transfer station on Wednesday night turned into a two-alarm blaze that destroyed an office building and heavily damaged two city-owned sanitation vehicles. The 5:14 p.m. blaze required several fire departments to bring the flames under control.
City firefighters answered the dinner-time blaze on Thanksgiving Eve and encountered a large fire at the Howard Street DPW complex. A second alarm was requested, bringing firefighters from neighboring Arlington and Fairview fire departments to the scene.
The office building attached to the transfer station was destroyed during the blaze. A brand-new sanitation vehicle parked next to the office, valued at $225,000, sustained substantial damage.
A second fire was discovered inside of a DPW sanitation trailer that was docked in the lower-level of the transfer station. Firefighters relocated a fire engine near the dock while a DPW employee pulled the flaming tractor-trailer away from the dock. Once pulled away, the truck driver began dropping the blazing contents onto the ground while firefighters worked to extinguish the flames with the assistance of a front-end loader operated by a DPW employee.
Poughkeepsie Fire Chief Joe Franco briefed Mayor Rob Rolison, City Administrator Marc Nelson, and Councilwoman Yvonne Flowers at the scene.
“The cause and origin of the fire are still under investigation,” Franco told them. “Once all of the fires are extinguished, the crews will examine the scene closely to determine what caused the fire.”
Videos of the burning building and fiery trailer are below.
